The present invention generally relates to a flotation device and more particularly to an inflatable flotation device for attachment to or incorporation into an object having a density greater than that of water, the device being inflatable in response to submersion of the object in water thereby causing the object to be floated to the surface of the water for ease in retrieving the object.
There are many instances of objects sinking into the water which cannot be retrieved at a reasonable cost or for other reasons. For example, much fishing and boating equipment is lost due to accidental sinking of such equipment. Examples of such equipment include fishing rods and reels, outboard motors, fish tackle boxes and bait boxes and the like. The loss of such equipment can be costly and inconvenient without reliable means for retrieving such equipment.
The present invention provides an inflatable flotation device for recovering sinkable objects which incorporates a valve mechanism that is rendered operative in response to submersion in water whereby the inflatable flotation device will cause the object to be floated to the surface of the water for quick recovery.
Prior art devices heretofore proposed for retrieving submerged objects have certain disadvantages. For example, the devices disclosed in Harper U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,725; Burker U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,787; Davis U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,668; and Mackal U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,075 require a spring loaded plunger member having a piercing pin to pierce the seal of a container of compressed gas when the device is submerged in water. The success of recovery therefore depends upon the proper functioning of the spring loaded piercing pin. The present device overcomes this disadvantage by providing means for containing the compressed gas within the container after the seal has been pierced by manual means but allowing the gas to escape and inflate an inflatable article when submerged in water.